Birth weight and prepubertal growth trajectory had a combined effect on pubertal initiation in girls.

Aim: Most studies of prepubertal weight and puberty have not used continuous or long follow-up periods. We explored the effect that birth weight and growth trajectories from 0-9 years of age had on starting puberty.

Methods: Data were obtained from 1510 children in Tianjin, China, who were born in 2013 and selected by cluster random sampling.

Intra-individual variability in ancient plasmodium DNA recovery highlights need for enhanced sampling.

Malaria has been a leading cause of death in human populations for centuries and remains a major public health challenge in African countries, especially affecting children. Among the five Plasmodium species infecting humans, Plasmodium falciparum is the most lethal. Ancient DNA research has provided key insights into the origins, evolution, and virulence of pathogens that affect humans.

A sedimentary ancient DNA perspective on human and carnivore persistence through the Late Pleistocene in El Mirón Cave, Spain.

Caves are primary sites for studying human and animal subsistence patterns and genetic ancestry throughout the Palaeolithic. Iberia served as a critical human and animal refugium in Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), 26.5 to 19 thousand years before the present (cal kya).

Transforming growth factor beta receptor type I (TGF-βRI) kinase inhibitors IOA-359 and IOA-360 stimulate erythropoiesis in MDS.

Overactivation of the Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGF-β) pathway is implicated in the pathogenesis of cytopenias in Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). IOA-359 and IOA-360 are potent small molecule inhibitors of the TGF-beta Receptor type I kinase (TGF-βRI, also referred to as ALK5, activin receptor-like kinase 5) that abrogate SMAD phosphorylation in hematopoietic cell lines. Both inhibitors were able to inhibit TGF-β mediated gene transcription at specific doses.

The relationship between non-communicable disease risk and mental wellbeing in adolescence: a cross-sectional study utilising objective measures in Indonesia.

Background: Risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, and mental disorders) arise in adolescence but are mostly framed as relevant to health in adulthood; little is known about the relationship between co-occurring NCD risks and mental wellbeing in young people. This study aims to describe the prevalence and co-occurrence of distinct NCD risk factors, and how they relate to current mental wellbeing amongst adolescents in Indonesia, a young and populous country where NCD burden is increasing rapidly.

Methods: We assessed NCD risk and mental wellbeing amongst 1,331 school-based 16-18-year-olds in Jakarta (N = 609) and South Sulawesi (N = 722).

Regulation of human interferon signaling by transposon exonization.

Innate immune signaling is essential for clearing pathogens and damaged cells and must be tightly regulated to avoid excessive inflammation or autoimmunity. Here, we found that the alternative splicing of exons derived from transposable elements is a key mechanism controlling immune signaling in human cells. By analyzing long-read transcriptome datasets, we identified numerous transposon exonization events predicted to generate functional protein variants of immune genes, including the type I interferon receptor IFNAR2.

Tracking the course of depressive and anxiety symptoms across adolescence (the CATS study): a population-based cohort study in Australia.

Background: Adolescent mental health appears to be in crisis, yet few studies have comprehensively charted the course of common mental disorders (CMDs; depression and anxiety) across this key life stage. We aimed to describe the course of CMD symptoms in adolescence by summarising annual prevalence, cumulative incidence, and course for depression and anxiety, both separately and as comorbid CMDs, by sex assigned at birth in a contemporary Australian cohort.

Methods: The Child to Adult Transition Study (CATS) was established in 2012 to form a representative cohort of adolescents in Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Report of forensically relevant insects collected from pig and rabbit remains during two forensic entomology workshops in Eastern Massachusetts.

Forensic entomology relies on known geographic ranges and seasonal presence of forensically relevant insects. In the Northeastern United States, there is no information on species in the region in early spring. Two forensic entomology workshops took place in April of 2023 and 2024 in Milton, Massachusetts.

Screening great ape museum specimens for DNA viruses.

Natural history museum collections harbour a record of wild species from the past centuries, providing a unique opportunity to study animals as well as their infectious agents. Thousands of great ape specimens are kept in these collections, and could become an important resource for studying the evolution of DNA viruses. Their genetic material is likely to be preserved in dry museum specimens, as reported previously for monkeypox virus genomes from historical orangutan specimens.

Anxiety and care experiences in adolescents with chronic health conditions: an international, longitudinal study across the transfer of care.

Objectives: To evaluate changes in anxiety, care experiences and condition impact among adolescents with chronic health conditions in two countries as they transfer to adult healthcare and to assess factors influencing anxiety levels.

Design: A longitudinal international study. Data was collected by questionnaires before (2017-2021) and a year after (2018-2022) transfer of care.

Strengthening the Frontline Response to Elder Abuse: Qualitative Insights From Australian Paramedics.

In this research we identified the training needs of paramedics in Australia regarding elder abuse identification and response. Ten qualitative interviews with paramedics and paramedic educators from each state and territory were conducted between January and March 2024. Participants encountered elder abuse in their professional capacity, often manifesting as neglect although responses were variable, influenced by the jurisdiction, whether the paramedic had specialist training, how much "scene time" was permitted, workload pressures, and if there were clear protocols and guidelines from the ambulance service on how to respond to elder abuse.

The Future Healthy Countdown 2030 consensus statement: core policy actions and measures to achieve improvements in the health and wellbeing of children, young people and future generations.

Introduction: This consensus statement recommends eight high-level trackable policy actions most likely to significantly improve health and wellbeing for children and young people by 2030. These policy actions include an overarching policy action and span seven interconnected domains that need to be adequately resourced for every young person to thrive: Material basics; Valued, loved and safe; Positive sense of identity and culture; Learning and employment pathways; Healthy; Participating; and Environments and sustainable futures.

Main Recommendations: Provide financial support to invest in families with young children and address poverty and material deprivation in the first 2000 days of life.

Electronic tongue measurements as a predictor for sensory properties of vacuum-packed minced beef - A preliminary study.

Changes in meat sensory quality during storage are difficult to assess accurately and objectively. Advanced analytical technologies for sensory assessment could help predict sensory changes. In this study, vacuum-packed (VP) minced beef was incubated at four different temperatures until the end of its quality shelf-life, before conducting instrumental taste analysis with an Insent electronic tongue and analysis of volatile compounds with headspace SPME GC-MS.

Trends and inequalities in thinness and obesity among Chinese children and adolescents: evidence from seven national school surveys between 1985 and 2019.

Background: There are little recent data in China regarding contemporary nutritional inequities among children and adolescents, particularly in relation to urban-rural residence and regional socioeconomic status (SES). We aim to assess inequalities in thinness and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents.

Methods: Weight and height measurements for 1 677 261 children and adolescents aged 7-18 years were obtained from seven cycles of the Chinese National Surveys on Students Constitution and Health (1985, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2014, and 2019).

Pubertal hormones and mental health problems in children and adolescents: a systematic review of population-based studies.

Given the increased prevalence of mental health problems during adolescence, there is considerable interest in understanding potential biological mechanisms including the contribution of pubertal hormones. This systematic review of 55 papers aimed to synthesize the evidence for the effect of pubertal hormones on the risk for mental health problems in children and adolescents. The pattern of findings from included studies suggested associations of testosterone and estradiol with certain types of mental health problems, but with inconsistencies relating to DHEA and DHEA-S.

Improved detection of methylation in ancient DNA.

Reconstructing premortem DNA methylation levels in ancient DNA has led to breakthrough studies such as the prediction of anatomical features of the Denisovan. These studies rely on computationally inferring methylation levels from damage signals in naturally deaminated cytosines, which requires expensive high-coverage genomes. Here, we test two methods for direct methylation measurement developed for modern DNA based on either bisulfite or enzymatic methylation treatments.

Maximizing efficiency in sedimentary ancient DNA analysis: a novel extract pooling approach.

In the last few decades, the field of ancient DNA has taken a new direction towards using sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) for studying human and mammalian population dynamics as well as past ecosystems. However, the screening of numerous sediment samples from archaeological sites remains a time-consuming and costly endeavor, particularly when targeting hominin DNA. Here, we present a novel high-throughput method that facilitates the fast and efficient analysis of sediment samples by applying a pooled testing approach.

Assessing Psychological Remission in Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa: A Comparison of Patient and Parent Report.

Objective: The definition and assessment of remission in anorexia nervosa (AN) needs greater consensus. Particularly in adolescents, the use of patient-reported composite indices (such as the Eating Disorder Examination [EDE] Global Score) as the sole measure of psychological remission has the potential to obscure patients' true clinical status, given developmental factors and the propensity towards symptom minimization in AN.

Method: End of treatment (EOT) data from a randomized controlled trial comparing two formats of manualized family-based treatment for adolescents with AN (N = 106) were analyzed.

Identification of a DNA methylation episignature for recurrent constellations of embryonic malformations.

The term "recurrent constellations of embryonic malformations" (RCEM) is used to describe a number of multiple malformation associations that affect three or more body structures. The causes of these disorders are currently unknown, and no diagnostic marker has been identified. Consequently, providing a definitive diagnosis in suspected individuals is challenging.